Manually removing a tape cartridge

Attention

• The best solution for recovering data on a damaged cartridge is to send it to IBM for professional data recovery.
• Before this procedure is used, you must exhaust all other means of removing the tape cartridge from the drive. Use this procedure only if you cannot remove the tape cartridge with any other means.
• Determine from the customer if the cartridge contains critical customer data. If the cartridge contains sensitive data that cannot leave the site, inform the customer that certain failure conditions diagnostic tests are done to test the drive for continued use.
• The following removal procedures can destroy customer data! Use extreme care when handling or removing the customer’s tape cartridges to minimize tape damage and lost data.
• DO NOT TOUCH the magnetic tape or tape path. Both are sensitive to the oil and salt from your skin. Use clean, lint-free gloves when working around magnetic tape or the tape path components.
• Electrostatic-sensitive components: Consider using an ESD Kit.
• After you remove the tape cartridge, advise the customer to copy the data to another cartridge and to remove this tape cartridge from service.
• Do not use power tools or magnetic tools to complete this procedure.
• To avoid contamination and electrostatic-discharge damage to the drive, never touch the head or electronic components inside the drive.
• If you cannot remove the cartridge from the drive with the following procedures, contact your next level of support.
• The cartridge does not eject automatically at the end of a mid-tape recovery. Instead, the tape is reloaded into the drive and might result in the loss of data.
• INTERNAL COMPONENTS OF THE DRIVE ARE DELICATE AND CAN EASILY BE DAMAGED. EXERCISE EXTREME CAUTION WHEN MANUALLY REMOVING A CARTRIDGE THAT WILL NOT EJECT AFTER PRESSING UNLOAD.